Pulp-molding machine.



Patented Apr. 9, i901.

E. HUBBARD.

PULP MULDING MACHINE.

(Application led` Nov. 22, 1897. Renewed Aug. 15, 1900.)

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(im Model.)

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Tus nofws Evans on, Puma-nwo.. WASHINGTON, u. c,

NN c. Mw mi NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EBER HUBBARD, OF BERWYN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES Sj BURTON,

OF OAKPARK, ILLINOIS.

PULP-MOLDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,517, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed November 22, 1897. Renewed August 15, 1900. lSerial No. 27,116. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EBEE HUBBARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwyn, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Vessels from Fibrous Pulp, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is avertical section of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail plan of the table with the outer jacket and inner form removed. Fig. 4. is a detail section at the line 4. 4. on Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section at the same plane as Fig. l, showing thedevices for withdrawing the head in the position occupied when it is thus withdrawn from the remainder of the form.

My improved machine is substantially a press which comprises the mold for forming the vessel, the mold constituting a chamber into which the pulp is pumped or otherwise fed, preferablyT at the bottom, and through whose walls the water is drained away, while the mold is condensed or reduced in exterior dimensions to compress to proper density the fibrous pulp which remains. I have represented the press as adapted to be operated by hydraulic pressure; but this is not essential.

A is a base or standard which supports the remainder of the structure.

B is the cylinder of a hydraulic ram, which is mounted at the center of the base A and supplied with water through the pipe b.

C is the ram. .At its upper end it carries the table D, which is secured rigidly to said end. This table comprises a central circular portion which is flat or horizont-al, as seen at Da, and a peripheral annular portion which is inclined, so that as a whole the tableis dished, concave upward. The inclined portion Db is radially at right angles to the inclined sides of the form which is mounted on the table and corresponds to and produces the inclined sides of the vesselwhich is to be molded. The mold comprises the inner form E, which is perforated and constructed in other respects in the customary manner of inner forms for molds for vessels of fibrous pulp. This inner 'form rests in an annular groove D, formed in the table D at the margin of the fiat portion Da-that is, between said fiat portion and the inclined portion Dl. The inner form E is accurately held in place by having at its lower end a diameter equal to the inner di- .ameter of the annular groove D, so that it embraces closely the periphery of the flat por- 6o tion Da. The remainder of the groove Dc is occupied by an ann ular ring or collet F, which at its upper side and inner circumference terminates in -a fin ff, concave outwardly and having a feather-edge which bears and [its the vessel to be molded with a rounded inner 7o edge, as is customary and desirable, this edge being the upper inner edge of the vessel when completed. The table D is provided at the iiat portion D1 with drainage-passages d in sufficient number to 'carry off the water which 75 drains through the inner form. The outer jacket of the mold is made up of a series of staves H H H, dto., having their inner faces covered with thin metal h, which projects at one side and laps the corresponding face of 8o the next stave, so that the jacket is adapted to be closed up by moving the staves inward radially or to be expanded by moving them outwardly. The staves are retained between the inclined annular portion Db of the table D and an upper annular plate G, which is connected by rods or posts Gf* Ga, dac., to the table D and made practically rigid with it. The upper face of the inclined portion Db and the lower face of the annular plate G are pro- 9o vided with radial grooves d and ga, respectively, in which the lower and upper ends of the radial ribs Ha of the staves H are seated and guided in the radial movement of the staves, which occurs in expanding and reducing the jacket. These ribs Ha have two inclined edges or cam-grades Hb and He near the upper andlower ends of the ribs, and these cam-grades are adapted to coperate with the inclined under sides of the annular roo plates K K, which are rigidly secured to the posts A A of the principal frame and are seen in Fig. l.

,P into locking position.

therefore fixed relatively to said frame. It Will be seen that as the ram is advanced upward, carrying the table and the form thereon, the engagement of the cam-grades on the stave-ribs with the annular plates will cause the staves to be forced radially inward, reducing the jacket and compressing the contents.

For the .purpose of closing the top of the form I employ a reducible and expansible head which comprises the cen ter L and radial sections L2, with lapping edges, all of which is fully shown in patents heretofore granted to me-as, for example, Patent No. 515,958,

granted March 6, 1894; and itis un necessary,.

therefore, to describe this head in detail more fully. Such head is secu red to a vertical spind-le or head L", which is guided in a sleeve M, in which it has sufficient range of movement to permit it to be lifted entirely above the plane of the plate G. The sleeve M is supported by the top plate A2 of the press, and for this purpose it has a flange M', which is eng-aged between and above the lrabbeted bearings A2o A20, which are secured to the topv plate A2, as- For raising and lowering the head I provide a lever N, fulcrumed on a bracket M2, which projects from the sleeve M. The lever N is forked, the two branches eX- tending one upon each side of the sleeve, and g the spindle Lb is provided with a cross-bar L2, which protrudes at both sides through suitable slots M3 in. the sleeve M, and the ends of theA fork-arms of the lever N are adapted to engage under the lower edges of the oppositely-projectin g ends of thiscross-bar L2, and thereby to lift the head, the weight of which is sufiicient to insure its descent at proper time and manner. In order to secure the head positively in its lowered position, as is' i' horizontal slide-bearings M4'M4 at opposite sidesof the sleeve M, at such posi-tion that the fork-arms of the bolt may beshot in above the upper edges of the cross-bar L2 when the latter is at its lowest position-that is, when the head is in position to close up-the mold. To withdraw this bolt when the head should be lifted, I provide the lever-arm N with a finger N2, which engages the notch pin the bol-t P, and I cause this nger to extend at such angle to the inner end portion of the lever that the said inner end, which engages the cross-bar L2 to lift the head, shall standf ,some distance below said lower edgewhen the lever is lifted at its outer end to the position necessary toy cause the finger N2 to let the-bolt When t-he operator desires to lift the head! to open the mold, the lever N, being depressed at the outer end, rst causes its finger N2-to withdraw the bolt P, andk by the time it is withdrawn the inner lecross-bar L2 and begins to lift the head. I

, it is clear of the plate Gr, which is the highest position to which it is necessary to raise it, the knob ends of the fork-arms have come to the position shown in Fig. 5, where the lever acts as a lock to hold the head elevated-that is, the downward pressure exerted at the point 'of contact of the lower edge of the cross-bar L2 with the knob ends of the fork-arms of the lever N operates substantially at the end of a radius of the knob, which is in aline which, produced, would pass through the fork of the lever, so that the weight does not tend to swing the lever. A spring P2 may be proy vided to throw the bolt P into locking posilltion; but such spring may be omitted.

the bolt is withdrawn to unlocked position, as

g seen in Fig. 5.

The pulp issupplied through ports D D-e i in the annular portion D1 of the table just Q outsidethe colletrF, and slide-valves-Df D-f are provided to close these ports after the mold is filled with liquidV pulp. Dg Dg represent fed? in through these ports.

' pression due to the closing up of the staves i as the entire` mold is: lifted would be made equal to the vertical com-pression whichy the bottom ofthe vessel formed at the top of the mold experiences by making the cam-grades Hb Hf'inclined at any angle of forty-five degrecs to, thevertical movement if said'staves in that movement were guided in horizontal tracks. Inasmuch, however, as they are jguided in tracks which are inclined downward toward the axis, so as to produce the lateral pressure in lines4 at right angles to the inclined walls of the` vessel, this downward inclination operates with: the same tendenc-y as the slope of the cam-grades-that is,

the stave-ribs are guided, thus making the i cam movement or movement which produces laterallcompress-ion easier thanit wouldotherwisebe` and at the saine time aording speg cial advantage in the resulting structure of the vessel, because'the sides are compressed directly at right angles to their surfaces instead of` in a direction oblique to those surfaces.

When the pail is suitably compressed, the operator lifting the head by means of. the le-v IOO IIO

y wit-h a-tendency to resist thel inward movever N to a position where it is clear of the annular plate G, the lever being for that pu rpose moved to the position shown in Fig. 5, and locking it in that position is able to slide it laterally, the sleeve M traveling in the slide-bearings A20. The head being thus moved entirely out of the way of the mold the latter is lowered to original position, and in this movement the staves are withdrawn radially by means of the springs S S S, dac., mounted on the ring S' and engaging the links S2, which extend to the staves, respectively. The mold being thus opened and the molded vessel being freed from the outer jacket, such vessel may be lifted out by the operator. To facilitate this, however, is one purpose of the collet F, which is provided with rods F2 F2, extending down through the table D and connected at their lower ends to the fork-arms F F30 of a lever F3, which is fulcrumed at f3 and connected to a pedal F4,

which the operatordepresses to lift the vessel off the inner form E far enough so that the operator may readily take hold of it and lift it out of the mold.

I claim- 1. In a pulp press for making tapering bodies from fibrous pulp, the combination of a jacket composed of a multiplicity of narrow lapping staves constructed and arranged to be moved inward to increase their lap to reduce the jacket; a head for closing up the mold at the lesser end; a support upon which the jacket rests adapted to close the larger end of the mold; said table being constructed with an outer annular portion sloping radially at right angles to the inclination'of the sides of the body, throughout the entire circumference; and means for closing up the jacket by radial movement of its staves on said radially-sloping portion of the table.

2Y In a press for molding tapering vessels from fibrous pulp, in combination With an inner perforated form and an outer jacket composed of a multiplicity of narrow lapping staves constructed and arranged to be moved inward radially to increase their lap to reduce the jacket, between which form and jacket the tapering sides of the vessel are molded andl pressed; a head for closing up the mold at the end corresponding to the bottom of the vessel; and a table upon which the inner form and outer jacket rest; a head adapted to close the other end of the mold; said table being constructed with a portion which extends outward from the margin of the inner form throughout the entire circumference sloping radially at right angles to the inclination of the sides of the vessel; and means for closing up the outer jacket by radial movement of its staves on the sloping portion of the table.

3. In a press for molding bodies from fibrous pulp, in combination with a fixed frame, a mold structure comprising a head, and, except as to such head,constructed and arranged to be advanced bodily in an axial direction in the frame; means for reducing the lateral mold structure radially as it is advanced axially, and for causing the head to remain in position with respect to said lateral mold structure to keep the head end of the mold closed during radial reduction of said lateral structure; a carrier or holder for the head, with respect to which said head is axially movable, said carrier being laterally movable with respect to the tixed frame; and means for moving the head axially with respect to said carrier, and for subsequently moving the carrier laterally with respect to the frame.

4. In a pulp-press, the combination with a table having an outer annular portion sloped radially down toward the central portion, an annular head-plate having radial slope parallel to that of the annular sloping portion of the table; a head to close the central aperture in said annular head-plate; said table and head-plate having corresponding radial grooves facing each other; and a jacket composed of staves which are guided in said grooves and which have cam-grades inclined with respect to the axis of the jacket; a fixed frame, with respect to which the structure comprising said table, annular head-plate and jacket is adapted to be advanced axially, the head being adapted to be xed with respect to the frame, and the annular plates K, K also fixed with respect to the frame and having sloping faces corresponding to the camgrades and adapted to cooperate therewith to force the staves of the jacket radially inward as the table and jacket are advanced with respect to the xed frame.

5. In a pulp-press, in combination with a table having an outer annular portion sloped radially down toward the central portion, an inner form supported on said central portion; an annular head-plate' having radial slope parallel to said annular sloping portion of the table; a head to close the central aperture of said annular head-plate; said table and annular head-plate having corresponding radial grooves facing each other an outer jacket, composed of staves which are guided in said grooves and which have cam-grades inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jacket; a fixed frame with respect to which said mold structure, comprising the table, head-plate, inner form and outer jacket, is adapted to be advanced axially, the central head being fixed with respect to such frame; and the annular plates, K, K, also xed with respect to such frame, and having sloping faces corresponding to the cam-grades, and adapted to cooperate therewith to force the staves radially inward as the mold structure is advanced with respect to the fixed frame.

6. In a press for molding bodies of brous pulp, in combination with a iixed frame; the mold structure comprising a head adapted to be fixed with respect to the frame; such mold structure, except such head, being adapted to be advanced axially in the frame; suitable means for reducing the mold structure radi- IOO ally as it is advanced; such iixed head being l inserted Within the lateral portions of jthe mold structure and adapted to be reduced radially by the reduction of the lateral 1nold` structure; suitablerrneans for advancing and withdrawing the latter; a carrier or holderj for the fixed head With respect to which said head is axially movable; said carrier being laterally movable with respect to the iixed' frame, and suitable means for moving the .3. head axially With respect to the carrier and i for subsequently moving the carrier laterally. 5

7. In combination substantially as set forth, the fixed frame and the head L; the sleeve M which constitutes a carrier for the head, and

EBER HUBBARD.

Witnesses:

CITAS. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, November 13, 

